Depth of Field Calculator

Hyperfocal distance (H) is the closest distance at which a lens can be focused while still keeping objects at infinity acceptably sharp. Focus exactly on H and depth of field stretches from H/2 all the way to ∞ — the trick landscape photographers use to keep both the foreground and the horizon sharp.

For studio and product photography it's mostly an indicator: as long as your subject distance is far smaller than H (which it usually is — H grows with focal length squared and shrinks only with aperture), DoF stays symmetric-ish around the subject. When the subject distance approaches H, the far limit runs to infinity and the calculator will show ∞.

Practical takeaway for product/jewellery work: focus on the front-most detail you need sharp and use the "Near limit" / "Far limit" rows above (or the Depth of Field Chart in the next article) to confirm the rest of the object fits inside DoF.